Description Becca Slugg is bored. It's the tail end of summer, and it feels like she's done nothing but run errands for her family's Cape Disappointment Beach Inn, argue with her frustratingly overprotective mother, and have one-sided conversations with the giant spider living by the dumpsters out back. When Becca wishes for something to happen, she doesn't expect her wish to manifest in the form of an unwelcome visit from her mom's sinister and estranged sister, Malatrice. It turns out Becca's aunt is a powerful witch--and when she doesn't get the help she wants from Becca's mom, she unleashes a devastating ink spell. Becca is left with a mindless puppet for a mother and a whole lot of questions--likeCan I castspells with the ink in my veins, too? With the help of Natalya, her mother's tarantula familiar, and Oddvar, a friendly troll living in the motel's ice machine, a distraught but determined Becca sets out to uncover her own magical abilities and find the ingredients for a potion that will cure her mother. Besides, how hard can it be to find mermaid eggs, troll teeth, and the most precious possession of a Witch-Queen? This magical adventure is equal parts hilarious and exhilarating, with a sassy, talking tarantula being just the tip of the iceberg.